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E3 2005: High Capacity SanDisk Memory Sticks

At an industry gathering last night, we were able to sit down with representatives of SanDisk, the company that manufactures those 512MB and 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo cards that we all love and adore. They let us put more movies and music on our PSPs, right?

Buried among all of the non-gaming related info were two tidbits of info of particular interest to our PSP-owning readers...

SanDisk's 2GB -- that's TWO GIGABYTES -- Memory Stick Pro Duo cards will begin shipping mid-June for the suggested retail price of $349. An Ultra version of the 1GB card will also begin shipping at the same time for $179. Ultra cards can transfer data at a rate that's 50% faster than current Memory Stick Pro media.

The company is also set to release a USB card reader that will allow you to transfer data between a PC and a Memory Stick Pro Duo. Why should you spend $20 on such an adapter when the PSP works like an adapter with the proper cable? First, if you don't already have the proper cable, this eliminates the need to pay for one (those cables tend to cost $15 as it is). Secondly, you can keep the card reader connected to your PC or laptop and not have to worry about chaining the PSP to it all the time. Just prepare your playlists and insert the card when you need it. PC owners will also be happy to hear that the reader includes a built-in MagicGate adapter and CF card slot, so it'll work with your digital camera media too!

(Likely, those suggested retail prices will come down quite a bit due to retailer discounts and volume sales)